Booboo'zzz All Stars - Studio Reggae Bash Vol. II (Baco Records)

That being said, we have to admit that we recognized slightly less tracks in the track list of this second volume than we did on the first one. That is certainly not due to lack of talent on the part of the invited vocalists - this time, among others, Ben l'Oncle Soul (wildly popular in France), Taïro, Mystic Loïc, Rébecca M'Boungou (vocalist with African folk duo Kolinga), Merlot and Joss Bari - but more because we weren't really all that familiar with the repertoire of artists like Etienne Daho, London Grammar, Art Mengo, Nino Ferrer or ex-One Direction member Zayn Malik. But that being said, it were exactly those "unknown" tracks we enjoyed the most on 'Studio Reggae Bash Vol. II'. Yes, Taïro delivers an original version of France Gall's 'Resiste', and Ann-Shirley, whose voice has a similar hoarseness as Sade's, really nailed 'Pearls', but the real highlights are the excellent version of London Grammar's 'Wasting My Young Years' by Mystic Loïc, French rhythm and blues revelation Alexis Evans' version of 'Domino', putting Jessie J's poppy original to shame, and the delicious jazzy voice of Célia Kameni lifting Lianne La Havas' 'Unstoppable' to a whole other level. However, our personal favorite is Rébecca M'Boungou's version of Yes classic 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart', pure eighties nostalgia! The only track for which Booboo'zzz All Stars didn't invite any guests is r&b/hip-hop classic 'No Diggity', originally recorded by Blackstreet feat. Dr. Dre. With this second volume, the band from Bordeaux once again delivers an extremely enjoyable compilation filled with reggae versions of gems from pop, soul and rock history!